On the opening day of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, Doha Airport recorded 258 of flights, the second busiest day for the capital Qatar this year, after the 261 flights registered last Sunday. Among them and the first direct from Israel to Qatar, operated by TUS Airways.
Sunday, November 20, 2022, the airport international Doha-Hamad recorded 258 flights, representing 88% of the number reported in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the 24 airlines present in Doha yesterday, Qatar Airways operated 174 flights under OAG, followed by IndiGo (11) Saudia and Turkish Airlines (6 each) and Oman Air and Air India Express (5 each).
According to the data Oag published by SimpleFlying, flights were operated from / to yesterday 127 airports in 63 countries, including India (32 flights), Saudi Arabia (25 flights) and the United States (17 flights).
One of the flights operated on Sunday was of particular importance. It was the first direct commercial flight between Israel and Qatar. It is flight U81162 operated by Airbus A320 by the Cypriot company TUS Airways. This is the result of negotiations between Israel and FIFA. TUS Airways will be able to operate six rotations during the football tournament.
Relations between Qatar and Israel are not the best because of the conflicts in the Gaza Strip. Qatari authorities warned, according to Reuters: "Any escalation in Jerusalem, Gaza or the West Bank during the World Cup would risk the cancellation of the agreement, including direct flights." Israel, for its part, is calling on its citizens to "minimize their visibility and identity in the name of security" outside matches.